" I would like to live in the same soil as my ancestors, and walk under their trees, and do what they did, and think their thoughts. " - Elizabeth Lawrence. After 4 decades in Sweet Home Chicago I moved to North Carolina where my first Irish ancestor landed in the early 1700's. I'm an artist, garden designer and grandma blogging about my life in this " Southern part of Heaven " as Chapel HIll is called.

Monday, February 11, 2013

I'm tickled pink ( no pun intended ) to have my first article on garden design published here in North Carolina. Isn't that a lovely cover with the gorgeous pink coneflowers ? It's one of my favorite flowers . Transforming Space and Culture -Creating Inspiring Front Yards is the title of my article and I will reprint it here when next month's issue comes out so that I won't be in conflict with the publisher. Of course if you live in North Carolina you can pick up a copy .The March issue is outstanding and chock full of some great articles, including one by Nan K. Chase whose home and garden I visited during the Springfling in Asheville last May.

Friday, February 1, 2013

As Elizabeth Lawrence so aptly states in MY SOUTHERN GARDEN, " The special charm of a Southern Spring is its earliness, it is as long drawn out as it is sweet. " In the midst of of January I was elated to have two days of Spring-like weather that compelled me to visit the Arboretum and Botanic garden where I saw numerous trees and shrubs in bloom and the foliage of daffodils and other bulbs peeping out of the ground.

This lovely Japanese camellia was in bloom at the Raulston Arboretum in Raleigh during my mid-January visit.Although we had some extremely low temperatures in the teens that damaged tender plants in the garden , the last week of January had days so warm that strong winds and thunderstorms arrived early and caused damage to trees and power lines.As the Carolina Spring comes in February and this is my second one here I am slowly adjusting to the transition from long Chicago winters in which I wasn't able to get outdoor until April or May. Here I take each day as it comes -temperatures in the 50's and 60's are frequent and I eagerly throw on my jacket and go out to smell the fresh air and watch Spring unfurl in the cherry and apricot trees, the Forsythia, Quince and Hellebores. I am still amazed that I am able to tend my deck container garden in winter and have spent days watching my vegetables and herbs grow . A few nights I had to move some of them to the garage and others were covered with blankets but they all survived.

It's great to clip mustard greens in the middle of winter. When I get my forever home I will definitely plant and tend a vegetable garden year round because I find it so rewarding.As Spring comes in February in Carolina I welcome it with open arms on this first day as I wander out into the garden this morning to chase away the ever present creeping charlie that is the bain of my existence.